News Summary: Will Dell attract more suitors?

In this Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, the sun is reflected in the exterior of Dell Inc.'s offices in Santa Clara, Calif. Slumping personal computer maker Dell announced Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, it is bowing out of the stock market in a $24.4 billion buyout that represents the largest deal of its kind since the Great Recession dried up the financing for such risky maneuvers. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 13, 2000 photo, Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell, speaks during his keynote address at Comdex, in Las Vegas. It's easy to forget now, but Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and peddled it to the masses, but now the PC is being eclipsed by smartphones and tablet computers, and Dell is trying to save his company. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, FIle)

FILE - In this Thursday, March 26, 2009, file photo, Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Inc., reacts to a question during a press conference in Beijing, China. Slumping personal computer maker Dell announced Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, it is bowing out of the stock market in a $24.4 billion buyout that represents the largest deal of its kind since the Great Recession dried up the financing for such risky maneuvers. billion. Michael Dell, who owns nearly 16 percent stake in the company, will remain the CEO after the sale closes and will contribute his existing stake in Dell to the new company. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 26, 1999, file photo, Michael Dell, foreground, sits in the dorm room at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where he launched his enterprise as a college freshman. Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and peddled it to the masses. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)

FLE- Dell CEO Michael Dell speaks at Oracle Open World Conference in San Francisco. It's easy to forget now, but Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and peddled it to the masses, but now the PC is being eclipsed by smartphones and tablet computers, and Dell is trying to save his company. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, file photo, a Dell keyboard is shown at a Best Buy store in Mountain View, Calif. Dell's stock soared nearly 13 percent Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, on a report that the struggling personal computer maker is in talks to take the company private. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

The sun is reflected in the exterior of Dell Inc.'s offices in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012. Dell Inc.’s announced Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, that its earnings slump deepened in its latest quarter as the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers undercut sales of its desktop and laptop computers. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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BUYOUT DRAMA: Other bidders still may try to trump a 6-week-old deal calling for personal computer maker Dell Inc. to be sold for $24.4 billion to its CEO, Michael Dell, and a group led by Silver Lake Partners.

PROSPECTIVE SUITOR: Blackstone Group has been mulling making an offer that would top the current sale price of $13.65 per share, according to published reports. Under one long-shot scenario, Blackstone is hoping it can persuade former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Mark Hurd to run Dell if it mounts a successful takeover

DECISION TIME: Dell Inc. wants all competing bids to be submitted by the end of Friday, although that deadline could be extended.